


Ryan Is the Man Next Door

by totallycheesey



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Blow Jobs, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff and Angst, Freewood - Freeform, M/M, Neighbor au, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-03 01:58:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4082374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallycheesey/pseuds/totallycheesey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin has a thing for his neighbor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ryan Is the Man Next Door

Gavin stepped back from his handiwork and smiled. The bookshelf had successfully been filled with his Blu-Ray copies of movies, nearly identical to the way things had been back in England. Though moving without furniture was hard in itself, it had been even more difficult for Gavin to struggle through a trip to Ikea to look for a bedframe. Luckily enough, he realized in the middle of the purchase that he didn’t even have a mattress, and apologized to the woman who had been finalizing his exchange. He quickly found that mattresses were out of stock and, determined not to leave empty-handed, found a short bookshelf. He bought the shelf, asked for it to be delivered at his house by truck, and rode back to his house in the Ikea truck after the driver realized that Gavin would have to call a taxi anyways because of his lack of a car.

After all was said and done, though, Gavin had a small bookshelf to put his possessions in. It was better than nothing, and, besides, the flooring of the house wasn’t too cold to sleep on. He had blankets and pillows. Hell, he could make a fucking fort if he so desired.

The movies, though. That was one of the few things that he brought from England. His movies, his phone, his laptop, a portable Blu-Ray DVD player with which to play his movies in generous 6 inch display, his wallet (packed with money, courtesy of his own savings and an emergency credit card from his parents), his ambition, and some clothes. At the airport, he had to buy “American” chargers to work with his new house’s outlets and afterwards he bought food. His job interview for commercial advertisement would be in a month, to give him time to settle in to his new lifestyle and (hopefully) meet some of Austin’s citizens. It was all planned out in front of him, everything was going smoothly, and he was looking forward to what America had to offer him.

But there was still the crawling feeling of loneliness, a despair only felt by the twenty year-olds living in a different country from their family and friends. Gavin wondered if this was what it was like to be in the army. To become friends with strangers, fight the enemies, complete the mission, save the day. It was a good enough analogy to stave him over for the time being.

The house itself had two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a garage, and an expansive living room. It was much too large for Gavin, but his parents had insisted that a large house would allow more room for growth. They were hoping for grandchildren, he knew, but at least he got a nice house for it. The neighborhood was solid, too. The houses each had a passable front and backyard, the backs being closed in with chain-link fences.

There was hope, he thought as he got up to grab a water bottle from the refrigerator. The people who lived in the house before were considerate enough to leave behind their refrigerator, microwave, washer, and dryer. It was only a shame that they had taken their beds and couches.

Gavin sat down against the wall of the living room and pulled his DVD player towards him. There was already a movie inside from when he had been watching it yesterday, so all he had to do was hit play and relax into the hard wall.

And then there was a knock at the door.

As soon as the movie flickered to life, Gavin was shoving the player shut. He stood, stretched for a moment, and stared at the door wonderingly. Perhaps there was some sort of form for the house he needed to fill out, and the owners were coming to give it to him..? He recognized the stupidity of the thought, but it was all he had. He knew no one in America.

He pulled the door open slowly, savoring the long creak it gave as it swung inwards. (He would need to put some oil on the hinges.) And, holy shit, yes, there was a human being on the other side. It was a man that was a few inches taller than Gavin, with wavy brownish hair and scruff on his chin that seemed like more of an afterthought than a real attempt at growing a beard. The man was wearing a plain black shirt with a meaningless logo on the breast pocket, jeans, and a quiet smile.

Gavin got the feeling that the man was laughing on the inside from the look in his soft eyes, but pushed the warning away. “Is there something I can help you with?” he asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow. Before, he hadn’t noticed the slight definition of muscle along the man’s arms, or the way his lips seemed to slope into a half-grin.

“Yes. I’m the neighbor on the left, Ryan Haywood.” Ryan extended his hand, and Gavin took it, the callouses of Ryan’s palms meeting the softness of his own skin. “Figured I’d come and say hello… That’s the neighborly thing to do, right?” He let go of Gavin.

“I guess..?” Gavin allowed himself to be confused for a moment, before remembering that, yes, he had neighbors now. Neighbors that would probably be important to pay attention to. “Sorry, I’m just not used to all this.” Gavin made a gesture at his house. “It’s just a bit weird, y’know, living in a different country and all.”

Ryan smiled, and it reached his eyes in a way that made Gavin want to smile too. “I was going to ask where you were from.”

Flushing, Gavin said, “But the accent gave it away.” Dammit, dammit, dammit. American people and their damn attention to detail.

“I guess you could say that. It’s nice sounding.” Ryan peeked over Gavin’s shoulder and asked, “When are you getting your furniture in? I could help, you know.”

As if the accent hadn’t embarrassed him enough, there was now the matter of furniture at hand. Gavin tentatively said, “I don’t… I didn’t bring any.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ryan asked, “And a bed?”

Gavin swallowed. The silence could speak for itself.

After a moment of staring at Gavin, Ryan suggested, “You know, I have a spare bedroom at the back of my house…”

“No, no, no, I don’t want to trouble you,” Gavin responded quickly, trying to avoid a hassle. “I mean, we’ve only just met, I don’t want you to have to… It’s far too much. Thank you very much, but I’ll be alright on the floor.” The blush wouldn’t leave his cheeks.

Ryan held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, you’re the boss. Just know that if you ever need a place to stay, I’ve got tons of space. The ex moved out and took all her shit, so I’ve got more room than I know what to do with.”

All at once, sympathy and a pang of despair hit Gavin. Sympathy for his strangely welcoming neighbor, and despair at the thought of the “ex” being female. “I’m sorry to hear it.”

“Ah, she was a bitch. I guess it’s better that she’s out of my life. But, yeah, the offer still stands.” Ryan took a step back and waved his hand. “I’ll see you around, alright?”

“Yeah,” Gavin said, and as soon as Ryan was out of sight, Gavin slammed the front door. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to scream. Most of all, he wanted to be able to destroy something without knowing that his neighbor was listening. Of course, as soon as he moved, he ran into the most attractive human being to ever grace his presence. Of. Fucking. Course.

\-------------

Around noon the next day, Gavin took the initiative to check the mailbox. Even though he had only been living in his house for a few days, the mailbox was crammed full of junk mail. Most of the things, he would later find, were for the old owners. But on his way back from his trip across the yard, he happened to glance to the house on the left and suddenly wanted to bolt back inside. There was Ryan, pushing a cheap push-mower in rows against the grassy terrain of his front yard. There was Ryan, face red from the heat of the sun, hair tousled. There was Ryan, shirtless.

It was sufficient to say that Gavin got the hell out of there before Ryan noticed his presence.

\-------------

            There were times at night that Gavin could hear Ryan’s television blasting in the living room while he huddled around his portable player, and couldn’t help but be jealous. Not because of the TV, but because he knew Ryan was having a much better time. And he couldn’t skim over the fact that whenever he pictured Ryan in his house, he couldn’t shake the image of a bare chest anymore. Where in the _hell_ did his neighbor work, the Navy? It wasn’t the bodybuilder type of muscle; rather, it was the kind that could hustle a braggart out of his buck in an arm-wrestling challenge, the kind that found easy labor in moving boxes for the elderly, the kind that would make the job of pinning lovers to the bed less than trivial.

            These were the things that made Gavin flush, even in the chill of his empty home. These were the things that kept him from contacting his neighbor and taking him up on his offer for impromptu sleepovers for the amount of time it would take to find and purchase a nice mattress.

\-------------

Within the week, Gavin got into the habit of avoiding his neighbor for reasons that weren’t entirely clear. Yes, he liked the man. But it didn’t stop him from ducking down when he saw Ryan roll up his driveway in his truck. It didn’t stop the way his blood seemed to instantly blossom beneath his skin when he even _thought_ of the man. And it sure as hell didn’t stop the thoughts that Gavin had when he slept on the floor.

\-------------

To solve one of his problems, Gavin decided to finally go out and buy a mattress, and hopefully a bedframe to match. He called a taxi from within the confines of his kitchen and strode across the front yard quickly until coming to a rest at the curb, where he sat to wait.

It was only a few minutes before Ryan predictably materialized behind Gavin and asked, “Is it alright to ask what you’re doing?”

“I’m waiting for a taxi,” Gavin said carefully as he turned to look up at Ryan. He knew what was going to happen as soon as he said the words, so he took his time in savoring each syllable, feeling his accent stick to his teeth while Ryan clung to every word.

And, as Gavin had anticipated and feared, Ryan suggested, “I can take you in my truck. It’s not like I’m doing anything today.”

Trying to avoid sounding snappish, Gavin asked, “Don’t you have a job?”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, but the funny thing about jobs around here is that the average work day is from Monday to Friday, and today’s a Saturday. I’m sure that they do the same in England.”

The quick wit came as an unexpected surprise, and Gavin was briefly taken aback. “I didn’t think you to be the sarcastic type.”

“And I never thought you’d avoid getting help, but here we are.” Ryan got down to sit on the grass and be level with Gavin. “Why don’t you call your taxi to cancel? I can take you wherever you need to go.”

Gavin sighed. He was resisting the help of a man from his dreams. Obviously, he needed to change a few things. “Alright, alright. If you’re sure you can take me.”

“Of course!” Ryan’s head cocked to the side as he smiled, and Gavin fumbled with his pocket longer than needed to get his phone out. He hardly noticed the irritation of the voice on the other side of the line because of the encouraging expression Ryan was giving him. Just looking at Ryan set fire to his memory.

It seemed that as soon as Gavin hung up, Ryan was yanking him off the curb and dragging him off to his garage. Inside was a truck that, Gavin now noticed, was an older vintage model. From the seventies, most likely. Where he had first felt less than awestruck by the arrangement, he was now captivated by the spotless white Ford.

He turned to Ryan and struck a grin. “Where in the _hell_ did you get this truck?”

“Just something I took up from my uncle when I left Georgia…” Ryan shrugged, and Gavin didn’t miss the way he seemed to laugh through his words in embarrassment.

“So you’re a southern gentleman?” Gavin pressed, leaning back against the tailgate and smirking. Finally, some material for him to tease Ryan with rather than it being the other way around.

The pink of Ryan’s cheeks piqued Gavin’s interest. “If you want to call it that,” Ryan said while leaning closer to Gavin in a movement that suggested challenge, “then be my guest. I’d never consider myself to be a gentleman, though. I thought I was sarcastic, right?”

Gavin bit his lip. The space between them seemed warm and tightened as their bodies pressed closer. He wasn’t going to be the one to back away, even with the tangling of his insides or the gradual drifting of his rational thoughts. Gavin stared up at Ryan and dared, “You can be sarcastic and still be a gentleman.”

“Oh, really?” Ryan’s eyes seemed to light up at the prospect, and Gavin found himself discovering that the quiet side of Ryan he had first met was one layer of the many that Ryan Haywood was made from.

Stepping forward from the truck, Gavin said, “Of course. How many gentlemen would be left if the sarcastic ones were kicked out?”

Ryan’s smile widened. “Kicked out from where?”

“Their club. The Earth. I don’t know.” Gavin’s eyes traced over Ryan’s jawline. “Aren’t you supposed to be driving me to the mattress store?”

“Probably.” Ryan’ smile relaxed from aggressive slant into his normal lazy grin. “If I had to guess, I would say that this is more fun, though.” The tension that had built in his arms seemed to release.

Gavin let quiet enter the air for a moment before replying, “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Besides, do we really need to go get a mattress? Stay over here. C’mon, I’d feel bad if you didn’t.” Ryan was suddenly adamant about not doing what he promised, taking up a pleading tone that made Gavin’s body feel light. “In fact, you can fucking _have_ the bed at my house. I don’t need it anymore. We just need to get assistance from some movers so we don’t scratch the hell out of my walls.”

The more Ryan spoke, the more sense the idea seemed to have. Why was Gavin resisting staying in the home of someone he thought to be attractive? He should be, by all means, leaping at the idea. His eyes leveled with Ryan’s. “You’re sure you would be alright with that?”

“Of course,” Ryan affirmed with blue solstice. An uneasy smile pulled at the edges of his lips. “But, uh, before we talk about this further… Could you tell me your name?”

There was a second of disbelief held between Gavin’s clenched fists before he relaxed and laughed loudly, holding out a hand for Ryan to shake in reminiscence of the first time they met. “Gavin. I’m Gavin Free.”

Ryan bowed his head and chuckled as his fingers intertwined with Gavin’s. “I probably could’ve guessed. You seem like a Gavin.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Gavin asked, hand tightening around Ryan’s before releasing.

“We’ll just have to see,” Ryan said, stepping away from Gavin to go to the door to his house. He gestured for Gavin to come inside and Gavin, floating in sweet emotional turmoil, did as directed. They would just have to see.

\-------------

            As it turned out, Ryan was more invested in video games than Gavin could have ever hoped.

            “The entire Doom series? Are you _kidding_ me?” Gavin asked, eyes wide with shock as he ran his thumb along the shelf of games. “Goddamn.”

            Ryan’s voice came echoing from within the kitchen a room away. “I loved that shit when I was a kid. What I have are mostly 2007-esque games since that’s when I really got into 360, but there’s other stuff too.”

            Shaking his head, Gavin said, “I’ve never seen so many games together outside of GameStop.”

            “Then you need better friends.” The closeness of Ryan’s voice made Gavin whirl around, only to find that Ryan was standing before him with two beers. He pressed one into Gavin’s hand, the bottle fitting decidedly better in his grasp than the cans he was used to. “I figured you haven’t had a good beer since you’ve moved.”

            “You figured right.” Even as Gavin spoke, one hand worked at the cap while the other held the bottle firm. The condensation made his grip slip, and he begrudgingly shot Ryan a pleading look.

            A smile, then a snicker. “You’re sure you can handle yourself in America?” Ryan set his beer down by his feet.

            Gavin passed Ryan the bottle and watched as the muscles of his forearms tensed, right hand turning clockwise until the cap fell away with a hiss and clattered on the floor. “Of course I can.”

            Handing the bottle back to Gavin, Ryan said, “But there are _so_ many bottle caps I won’t be able to open for you.”

            “Who said I need your help all the time?” Gavin tipped his head back and downed a quarter of the beer, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand after.

            Ryan raised an eyebrow.

            “Shut the hell up, you prick.”

            The other eyebrow rose.

            “My hand was tired, alright?” Gavin crossed his arms. “Any excuse to tease me, am I right?”

“Any and all. To be fair, you make it easy.” Ryan purred. The warmth of his words made Gavin’s arms prickle. It felt like Ryan was closer than before, even though Gavin knew he was just as far away. Just… Two feet away… Maybe less.

He shook his head. “I do not make it easy, you’re just an ass!” The indignance in his voice made his statement seem even feebler than it already was. He felt like his skin was on the verge of caving in, if only for the tenor of Ryan’s voice and the way his eyes swept over Gavin, as if he could read him.

Ryan spoke like what he had to say was secret. “You make it easy because you want me to kiss you.”

Gavin forced down his embarrassment. “I don’t know where you got that from.” It wasn’t embarrassment of the accusation; in fact, he was only self-conscious because he knew what Ryan said was true.

“You’re staring at my lips.”

Okay, yes, Gavin was. There was no doubting that. “You’re staring at mine.”

He was already leaning in. Ryan, eyes shut, looked like a fucking angel and he was about to kiss Gavin. Scratch that, a demon. There was no way in hell (or heaven) that an angel could look so fucking hot going in for a goddamn kiss.

Their lips met, and Gavin’s free hand met the side of Ryan’s face to press fingers into the nape of his neck and thumb the rough of his scruff. Ryan went for Gavin’s waist.

The only thing grounding Gavin to the material world was the glass bottle in his hand.

Ryan rubbed circles into his hip while his mouth moved slowly, deliberately. He could have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance from the way that it felt like words were being forced into Gavin’s mouth, but Ryan made no sound. Gavin wouldn’t have cared either way, his nails sharp on Ryan’s cheek, mind stuck between two planes of existence: one, Ryan’s mouth; two, the rest of the world.

It was a little angering when Ryan pulled away. Not entirely because of the contact loss; Gavin’s beer coated the floor, bottle still rounded in his fist.

“Hell,” Gavin mumbled. “Sorry, where’s your towels?”

“Uh.” Ryan wiped his hands up his jeans and picked up his own beverage. “Down the hall, second door on the left.”

Gavin nodded and made his way to the hall. There were quite a number of doors; just as Ryan had promised, his house had way too much space for a single man, or even a couple, for that matter. With a twinge of guilt, Gavin realized that this home was one built to house a family. It was no wonder why Ryan was lonely enough to reach out to his foreign neighbor for company.

When Gavin came back with the towel, Ryan was already mopping up the mess with his shirt.

“What the bloody hell d’you think you’re doing?” Gavin asked with the highest voice he had used since puberty.

Ryan looked up from the floor where he was bent over, wiping up the mess. Also: Ryan was quite shirtless. “I’m cleaning,” he responded dryly, a smile beneath his statement.

“A lot of good this’ll do you.” Gavin tossed the towel to Ryan, where it landed in a heap beside him, and walked to Ryan’s side, where he crouched. “At least let me help you.”

Frowning, Ryan stood up straight with his wet crumpled shirt on the ground. “It’s not your house. Besides, I’m the one who _gave_ you the beer.”

Even if he didn’t know Ryan completely yet, Gavin had been in enough debates with him to know that the conversation would only lead in circles, during which Ryan will have already cleaned the floor. In short: there was no winning a verbal fight with Ryan.

With this knowledge spinning in his mind, Gavin blurted, “Am I going to have to suck your cock to help clean up the spill?”

There was a second of silence.

Ryan’s eyes were wide as he stood up straight, tall as a skyscraper compared to Gavin’s low form. He stared at Gavin, as if searching for an answer that couldn’t be heard. Slowly, almost tentatively, Ryan asked, “How much do you really want to help me clean this?”

Gavin swallowed.

A blush developed along Ryan’s cheekbones. “I’ve got it, it’s fine.”

“No, no…” Gavin could feel the tension building between his shoulder blades but continued. “I’m helping you, one way or another.”

Softly, slowly, Gavin stood level to Ryan, eye-to-eye.

“Honestly? Really?” Ryan didn’t sound sarcastic or blithe; he was honest. It was something that tugged deep within Gavin, that resonated.

“Yes.” There was no hesitance and no question about what was about to happen when Gavin kneeled before Ryan, as though he were to be knighted.

Ryan bit his lip and nodded, eyes heavy-lidded as Gavin began working at the button of Ryan’s jeans.

In all honesty, Gavin wasn’t remotely nervous. In fact, he was exhilarated. All those embarrassing thoughts about Ryan, all the staring, was about to come to a peak. This was it. He was going to suck his neighbor’s dick, all while the beer he spilled set into the hardwood floor.

He pulled down Ryan’s pants and planted his hands against Ryan’s hips, relishing in the heat emanating from Ryan’s body and his lack of a shirt. He heard a hiss as he moved his palms to the top of Ryan’s boxers, pushing the waistband to Ryan’s skin before slipping a hand in. Without removing the undergarments, Gavin gripped Ryan’s cock in a loose fist.

“Fuck,” Ryan mumbled, and it was all the encouragement that Gavin needed.

His fingers rolled around Ryan as he pumped once, twice, experimenting with the sounds Ryan made in correlation with his movements. Gavin’s thumb settled over the head of Ryan’s cock while the rest of his hand sloppily worked around the rest of Ryan’s length, drawing a sigh from above. He could feel the warmth of Ryan’s skin, the hardening of his cock beneath his fingertips. Gavin smirked and removed his hand from Ryan’s pants before pulling down the clothing between him and Ryan’s bare skin. He got down on his knees, the hardwood floor pushing bruises into his legs.

A slow look was passed between Gavin and Ryan as Gavin gripped at Ryan’s outer thighs.

Ryan, red as ever, said, “You’re sure?”

Gavin allowed him a smile and leaned in for a teasing lick at the underside of Ryan’s cock. It tasted as well as any other skin, albeit a bit salty, but Gavin pressed in nonetheless and didn’t hesitate in pushing Ryan into his mouth. His tongue clumsily brushed Ryan as he began to suck, minding his teeth as he did so. Ryan’s hands tangled in his hair as he worked at working himself harder, pulling Ryan deeper. He knew that his gag reflex was absurdly sensitive, so he took care to avoid brushing the back of his throat with Ryan’s head and instead used a hand to cover what he couldn’t fit in his mouth.

“Shit, please… Gavin…” Ryan whimpered, and Gavin thought for a second about spitting Ryan out and making him beg because it sounded so sweet, but there was too much temptation to feel how Ryan handled orgasms for him to exactly stop so he just kept sucking, kept tugging, nudged his head up into Ryan’s hands as he milked his position for all it was worth.

The hands in his hair pulled tighter and Gavin knew it was about to happen. His nails dug into Ryan’s thigh as Ryan moaned, his voice arcing into tenor before settling into its usual baritone while the fingers in Gavin’s hair loosened and fell away. Gavin felt the salty taste wash over his tongue and down his throat and he forced himself to swallow it down; there was no way in hell that he was going to get beer _and_ semen on this poor bastard’s floor in the same day. He let Ryan’s cock slip out from between his lips before standing, glad to stretch his legs.

“So? Was it good? For a first-timer?” He stared at Ryan as Ryan’s mouth shut and his eyes came to focus.

“I would definitely give it an A+.” Ryan’s hand slid around Gavin’s waist.

Cocking an eyebrow, Gavin remarked, “Teacher-student fetish? Kinky.” He leaned his ass into Ryan’s hand until Ryan was cupping him. “I think I could pull off a schoolboy outfit though. Don’t you?”

Ryan snickered. “I’m not debating that.” His hand tightened and Gavin shivered. Ryan’s other hand pushed straight into Gavin’s underwear and gripped his cock. “And, for your sake, I’m gonna cut right to the chase and give you what you want.”

Blood rushed from Gavin’s chest to rise at Ryan’s touch on his cock, growing more intense as Ryan broke into a semi-gentle, semi-frenzied rhythm of pumping Gavin. Gavin felt like his knees were about to give out, could feel his legs shaking as he reached out to hold Ryan’s shoulders for support and bury his head into his chest.

“You wanna see how fast I can make you cum?” Ryan asked, not breaking stride. “You don’t have to answer; I know you’re enjoying this.”

The hand tugged hard and Gavin moaned load, muffled into Ryan’s skin.

“See? Yeah, moan for me, just like that.”

Gavin couldn’t help himself; Ryan was too warm and he was too weak, too vulnerable, skin flaming in a fire that wouldn’t slow under Ryan’s touch. He was gasping and crying out for Ryan, please, _fuck_ , all he knew now was Ryan’s hand and Ryan’s voice and Ryan’s intentions and his need for climax.

He would have been content to his steady rise to orgasm, but Ryan sent Gavin straight into a moaning mess with the words, “Cum for me, baby.”

Gavin came hard; his eyes shut tight and his body leaned entirely into Ryan as he was jerked dry, panting and pleading things that his own mind didn’t understand and couldn’t formulate into coherent statement. He cried out into Ryan’s body, the warmth of Ryan’s heartbeat steadying his shockwaves of pleasure, helping Gavin navigate his way to being able to support his own body weight.

“Good for a first-timer?”

Opening his eyes, Gavin mumbled, “Please tell me this isn’t a one-time thing.” His hands were still shaky, but he managed to ball them up and shove them into his pockets.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? Aside from you being the hottest man I’ve managed to hook up with, you’re pretty fucking interesting.”

“Interesting?” Gavin frowned. “So I guess that means you want to ‘figure me out?’”

“Cheesy, but what’s bad about that?” Smiling, Ryan put his arms around Gavin’s shoulders. “No, this isn’t a one-time thing. I don’t want to be the creep that says that this is a life-time deal, but it’s definitely more than once. Definitely.”

Gavin grinned back sheepishly. “I’m not forcing you to sign a contract or anything.”

“I know,” Ryan said. “Really. I do.”

A quiet agreement grew between the two. Gavin looked up, met Ryan’s eyes, and moved forward until their lips brushed. He nudged into a deeper kiss, though it was less passionate and more curious. Ryan’s lips moved silently against Gavin’s, understanding, thoughtful.

Gavin wondered about the extra space in Ryan’s house and if he would end up moving his stupid movies and his shitty DVD player in with cardboard boxes from Walmart. He wondered if he could see himself riding beside Ryan in the white Ford through the countryside, on the way to meet with relatives of Georgia. He wondered if they would play Doom late into the night and wake up beside each other, take turns cooking breakfast, trade off responsibilities in lawn care and phone bills. He wondered what it would feel like to roll over in bed and feel Ryan beside him, breathing deep and slow. He wondered if he was going to buy a mattress after all.

They broke away from the kiss deliberately, quietly studying one another. Gavin could see the calculation between Ryan’s eyes and felt the interest behind his own, a mutual exploration. He let Ryan’s arms fall from his shoulders.

“Ryan, pull up your pants. There’s beer everywhere.” Ryan bent to pull his clothing over his body as Gavin picked up the towel he had dropped on the floor and set to cleaning up the beer he had spilled a decade ago, wiping up his mess, starting fresh.


End file.
